Birkenhead’s MP Frank Field and Merseyside’s Chief Fire Officer
Phil Garrigan have asked the fire services Minister Nick Hurd to confirm in the
next funding settlement that there will be no further cuts to Merseyside’s fire
and rescue service.

Frank and Phil met jointly with the Minister in Parliament this
week to make the case against any further cuts. They also:

- warned against any
stealth cuts such as putting historic pension costs onto the fire service’s
books;
- set out the numerous
pressures, such as recruitment costs, retention challenges and PFI debts, being exerted on the service’s reserves;
- asked for Merseyside
to receive stronger financial protection due to higher levels of deprivation in
the region;
- asked the Minister to
prioritise Government reinvestment in the fire and rescue services,
particularly in the light of the Grenfell Tower fire and the heightened
terrorist threat.

Commenting on the meeting, Phil said: ‘This was an important and
productive meeting which begins a longer conversation with the Minister about
the appropriate level of support provided by the Government to our fire and
rescue service. We asked the Minister to fully consider the environment in
which we are now operating and explained in great detail the cumulative impact
that the cuts have had, and continue to have, on our ability to prevent and
respond to emergencies, and protect our communities. Whilst we are extremely
disappointed that the Minister has indicated that in-year changes wouldn’t be
considered, we take some solace from the fact that the Minister listened to our
concerns and committed to recognise our representations as part of the 2019
Comprehensive Spending Review. Further meetings are already planned to make
good this commitment.’

Frank added: ‘Merseyside’s fire and rescue service has received a
raw deal since 2010, and has been disproportionately affected by the cuts. It
is vital that no further cuts are made to its budget. What I hope this meeting
will bring about, and which I will follow up in Parliament, is the beginning of
a financial package which starts to ease some of the pressure on its budget and
frees up additional resources for the frontline. As a next step, I will be
seeking the Minister’s support towards paying off the PFI costs, so the service
is able to ensure all of the resources it has at its disposal can be put towards
protecting the public.’

Ahead of the meeting,
Frank obtained data showing that:

- government grant
funding for Merseyside’s fire and rescue service, will have fallen by £13.7m
from 2010-11 to 2019-20, a 50% reduction in real terms;

- as a result of the
cuts that have been made since 2010, the number of firefighters in Merseyside
will have fallen from 923 to 620, a 32% reduction;

- the number of fire
engines fell from 42 to 26; and

- the time taken to
respond to life-risking incidents has increased by 35 seconds.